Southern California -- this just in

Search and rescue teams save stranded man and dogs

December 31, 2012 | 5:53
pm

Search-and-rescue teams from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department saved a stranded Aliso
Viejo man Sunday after he and his two dogs slid off a trail and down a
30-foot ice chute, authorities said.

The
man, who was identified in a statement only as being 30 years old, was hiking
in the snow near the summit of Mount Baden-Powell, in the Angeles National
Forest, officials said. After he and his dogs slid off the trail, they remained in
a “remote area” in the wind and snow until they were saved by search-and-rescue
personnel, the statement said.

Helicopters
could not be used during because of low visibility, sheriff’s officials
said. Instead, Palmdale Sheriff’s deputies, the Antelope Valley Search and
Rescue Team, and the Crescenta Valley Search and Rescue Team provided first-aid
treatment to the hiker. They also helped him walk out of the remote area and
down the mountain.

The
Antelope Valley Search and Rescue Team has performed nine rescues so far this
month, the sheriff’s statement said.

“This
is a perfect example of why it’s important to pay attention to weather predictions
when planning a hike,” Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Cmdr. John Johnston said.